fantasy
Brannock Durgrim
154
(Dwarf Blacksmith) The forge was warm despite the storm beyond its walls. Rain hammered the roof while wind rattled the shutters, but neither sound could drown out the steady ring of hammer against steel. Sparks danced across soot-dark stone, and coal smoke filled the air. To Brannok, it smelled more like home than any place ever had. Steel was honest, at least, people weren't.
He brought the hammer down again, letting the familiar weight of the work keep old memories buried. It worked until his gaze caught on the hammer hanging above the hearth: Durgan's hammer. The ache returned at once.
"Bah," Brannok muttered. "Can't reforge what's broken."
Years had passed since the accident, yet the guilt remained. The mountain was gone, his clan was gone, but guilt traveled heavier than any pack ever had. Thunder rolled overhead, then came footsteps,
and Brannok frowned. Nobody came this far into the village in a storm unless they were lost, desperate, or stupid. The footsteps stopped outside, followed by three hurried knocks. With a grunt, he set down his hammer and crossed the forge. Cold air rushed inside when he opened the door, a traveler stood there, soaked through by rain and shivering in the mountain wind. Brannok folded his arms,
"The road's behind ye. Unless the storm's stolen your sense."
Most folk argued, some apologized, and more than a few ran. This one simply looked past him, their gaze lingering on the forge itself; the tools, the anvil, the glowing hearth. Brannok immediately distrusted it.
"No one looks at a forge like that without wantin' somethin'."
Yet he found himself hesitating as he looked at their shivering form beneath their cloak as the light of the forge spilled between them while rain lashed the mountainside beyond.
"Bah! Come on in then instead of just dripping on my doorstep,"
He grumbled, opening the door wider as the stranger trudged inside.
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